


heat

by Hannah (hannahoftheinternet)



Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Compare and Contrast, Emotions, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Introspection, Showers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 01:38:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17234996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahoftheinternet/pseuds/Hannah
Summary: Mare has become pensive. About Maven, about Silent Stone, about the differences between Reds and Silvers, and about Cal. Of course.Set sometime during Mare and Cal's night together in War Storm.





	heat

The water from the faucet scalds me, bringing blood rushing to the surface of my skin. The heat sends me back, less than a quarter of an hour, to Cal’s hands skimming over my bare back and sides. He is warm, not burning, so contrary to the name of his ability.  _ Burner _ .

I’ve become pensive. I spent so long alone with my thoughts while I was Maven’s prisoner that now they crowd me the moment everything is silent.

Maven. The thought repulses me, makes the flesh around his brand crawl. He doesn’t fit the burner name either. Maven is all ice, from the metal that sits on his brow to the chill in his eyes.

I wonder if he can burn. Under the effect of a silent, or Silent Stone, could his skin crack and peel like anyone else’s? Like a Red’s?

No, Silent Stone is not something I want to think about either. Not when Cal has made me feel so alive and loud.

My lips part, calling him. And he comes, his silk robe wrapped around his body. The light is low, my fault, but when he comes closer, I can see that his hair is mussed. He looks like a boy, not someone at war. My lips find his before he can say anything, but he welcomes me.

Somehow, I find it in myself to step back, to reach out and turn on the shower. Cal looks at me, head tilting. “What…?”

“Trust me,” I say, thinking back to my words.  _ This is the last time _ . Lies. Not something to trust.

He does anyway, shedding the robe and following me. I didn’t bother getting dressed when I left the bed. I’m not quite sure why he did.

I crank the water temperature up, as high as I can make it. The shower control is silver, like most of the metal here. Just another reminder. Hot water stings my skin and I revel in the sensation. I want to be warm.

Cal stretches out, carefully, letting the water rain down on his hand. He watches droplets fall in a continuous downpour, looking almost bemused. Steam hisses against the cool tile. I didn’t bother to close the curtain, and I can see the mirror turning foggy before my eyes.

“I can’t feel it,” Cal says. He seems apologetic, nervous. I want to laugh. A leader, someone who has done battle, intimidated by water and a girl.

Too late, I remember that water is an enemy of his. Something that goes against his nature.  _ Well done, Mare _ .

I take his hand, compare it to mine. We’re already so different: brown against almost-gray. Being so near so many Silvers made me realize how deep our differences really are. It’s visible even in our skin.

Two people, dressed alike, with the same skin color. One with gray undertones, one with red. One with silver veins, one with red. Easy to distinguish Silver from Red at a glance. A healing wound on my thumb is ringed with pink. A cut on Cal’s calf is gray at the edges.

And now, red rises in response to the heat filling me, making me unforgettably, recognizably Red. Cal’s skin stays the same resolute pale color, unaffected by the warmth. He can’t feel heat or cold, can’t feel in the same way I do. Just another difference.

“What is it like?” I whisper. Cal brings his hand up, cradles my face, tender under my scrutiny. “Not being able to feel the warmth.”

I can barely hear his answer under the rushing water. “I don’t notice.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written because I had no idea how to deal with my emotions about the end of War Storm. 
> 
> Wow, is this the first F/M fic I've posted here? I think so.
> 
> Comments are a writer's best friend!


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